The onliest chance to establish Venice is in my eyes to move the italian castle to Ravenna 100, another castle will not be moved because they will have no way to establish.

Since I only read the first ten posts here I have to ask myself where the balcans are overcrowded? Only the hungarian and bulgarian castle are divided by 1 shire, all other castle do have a bigger distance^^

1 - the map has mostly shires of the same geographic size, therefore highly populated regions like northern Italy can't be accurately modeled unless the map is changed, which won't happen

2 - can I ask that players refrain from suggestions that other players' nations be replaced, as this is quite rude. A nation won't be replaced unless it is either empty or the players in it agree to migrate en masse (as with Swabia).

Now learning the way of the Sword NPCs: i) Macarias the Virtuous, Patriarch of Antioch (the "Old Man" ); ii) The Protodeacon of Hagia Sophia; iii) The Eparch of the City; iv) A Guy Named Joe; v) Uncle Tom Cobley; vi) Ozymandias; vii) Flatus the Corpulent, Merchant of Antiquities; viii) Euphrosyne Roisin, mother.

Now learning the way of the Sword NPCs: i) Macarias the Virtuous, Patriarch of Antioch (the "Old Man" ); ii) The Protodeacon of Hagia Sophia; iii) The Eparch of the City; iv) A Guy Named Joe; v) Uncle Tom Cobley; vi) Ozymandias; vii) Flatus the Corpulent, Merchant of Antiquities; viii) Euphrosyne Roisin, mother.

Now learning the way of the Sword NPCs: i) Macarias the Virtuous, Patriarch of Antioch (the "Old Man" ); ii) The Protodeacon of Hagia Sophia; iii) The Eparch of the City; iv) A Guy Named Joe; v) Uncle Tom Cobley; vi) Ozymandias; vii) Flatus the Corpulent, Merchant of Antiquities; viii) Euphrosyne Roisin, mother.